Seattle, WA

A few weeks ago I was down in Seattle to watch the man become an American citizen, celebrate the fourth of July, and meet his best friends.

This was my first time visiting, which is odd because Seattle is only a three-hour drive from Vancouver, but for some reason I’d never made it there (outside of the airport).

Though I had my doubts about his becoming an American (like any true Canadian, I question the appeal of a belonging to a country without free healthcare and where people say “uh huh” instead of “thank you”), it was surprisingly moving to listen to a number of speakers (the best were the governor and an immigrant from 1976; the oddest was a senator who confusingly talked about being in a movie and invited everyone over to her house for a picnic) and watch these 507 people pledge allegiance to the flag and renounce all their other princes.

The rest of our trip was mostly spent in true American fashion: barbecuing, lying by the pool, and eating. C’s best friends are an amazing group of people and I not-so-secretly want them to be my best friends as well, which basically means I spent the weekend being incredibly socially awkward while trying to pretend I was normal. It probably didn’t work out in my favour, but they were very kind anyway.

C also spent some time showing me around Seattle, which means he took me to the two circus schools and I figured that was all I needed to see.

(That’s sort of an exaggeration. We also did some quality wandering.)

Final thoughts: loved Seattle; will be back soon.

Recommendations

El Gaucho – sit at the bar and listen to the fantastic live music. Ask Brent to make you a drink and tip him very well. I had the chocolate ganache for dessert and it was the first time in my 25 years of life that I could not finish a dessert that I genuinely enjoyed.The Underground Tour – unfortunately the night tour didn’t fit in our schedule, but apparently it’s brilliant. The day tour was, despite its PG rating, still fantastic. I had no idea Seattle had an underground. Serious street cred in my books (but minus five points for probably being haunted).Toulouse Petit – such a delicious breakfast. It started with beignets, so I’m not sure how it could possibly go wrong. I’m still regretting not getting the French toast… maybe next time.Biscuit Bitch – for the biscuits and gravy crowd. They’re American sized. I suggest sharing.Pegasus Pizza – pizza, root beer on tap, and a waterfront view. Does it get any better?SANCA – for the circus-ing crowd. No skin off VCS’s back, but this school probably has the best group of coaches ever. (Those would be C’s friends. Is my sucking up working yet?)